The foundation states that its purpose is to renew the democratic process through cooperative acts of citizenship, especially as they apply to governance, and the environment.
John J. Schumann Jr was the former president of General Motors Acceptance Corporation.
Current officers and trustees of the foundation include the founders' sons Robert F. Schumann (chairman) and W. Ford Schumann (vice president) as well as Bill Moyers (president).
John Moyers was the recipient of significant funds from the-then Schumann Foundation to found TomPaine.com, which he headed for several years.
Recipients of recurring Schumann Foundation grants during the 1990s, ranging from under $100,000 to more than $5 million annually, include the Tides Foundation and Tides Center, Environmental Working Group, Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the Center for Media and Democracy, The Nation, Mother Jones, In These Times, TomPaine.com, and The American Prospect.